


Skating Bond

by Bowtiez



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Bonding, Christmas Fluff, Cute Peter Parker, Father Figures, Fluff, Fluffyfest, Happy Ending, Holidays, Ice Skating, Light Angst, Maria Stark's Good Parenting, Parent-Child Relationship, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:00:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21879256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowtiez/pseuds/Bowtiez
Summary: With Christmas just over the horizon and his classes taking a hard turn with testing before a break in studying, Peter Parker is left exhausted and really in the need for some down time when he finally finishes his classes for the semester.He doesn't have to worry though, because Tony Stark has something up his sleeve, and, hey, didn't Peter say something about wanting to learn how to ice skate that one time?
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 9
Kudos: 80
Collections: Iron Dad Secret Santa 2019





	Skating Bond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctornineandthreequarters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/gifts).



> This is my first secret Santa ever (that's not with people I actually know irl) so, I hope I did alright! Happy Holidays to everyone reading! 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this fluffy little holiday gift I constructed for doctornineandthreequarters! I really hope you like your gift :3
> 
> (Just as a small disclaimer, I've only been ice skating twice in my life and I have a feeling that things will definitely be wrong, so apologies in advance! I tried though :P)

Never in Peter’s life had he imagined himself being whisked off for a Christmas vacation with his mentor and/or father figure. It was actually quite hard to believe, as he sits on the couch in a small toasty, living room as Tony pokes at the logs in the crackling fireplace. 

Admittedly, life had gotten a bit hectic with Peter and May in the city as the days started ticking down to Christmas. 

Peter had basically had a mental breakdown halfway through his solid week of hard AP course exams before the Christmas break. He’d been off his game as Spider-Man (when he managed to drag himself away from nearly around the clock studying) and had swung into not one, but two buildings whilst zoning out and swinging around Queens. 

May was stressed, as she usually was this time of year, with making sure there was enough money for Christmas expenses, rent, food and the usual necessities. She was working more and more, despite Peter promising that he didn’t care about Christmas, but it was really weighing in on her, and Peter could see it. 

Tony, of course, had noticed. He’d gotten alerts from Karen of Peter’s face plants, was there to calm Peter after his mental breakdown and had seen the dark bags under May’s eyes as she smiled and greeted him at the door- which was how Peter and May got invited to spend the holiday with Tony and Pepper at Mister Stark’s log cabin. 

That much had been planned, but what hadn’t, was Mister Stark showing up outside his school, two days before Christmas Eve, which was when the group was supposed to be coming together to celebrate. 

Tony had invited them for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which confused Peter as he stumbled out of his last exam of the year, tired and barely functioning, to see his mentor’s expensive car parked among the lesser quality teachers and student’s cars. 

This aspect of trip had been pretty impromptu, seeing as it really hadn’t been planned before Wednesday, but here on Saturday Peter sits. Curled on the couch, watching quietly as Tony sorts the fire out with overly loved poker, moving with practiced ease. 

“I thought you could use a break after those exams, and May agreed with me,” the billionaire had explained as he took a turn off onto a road that led out of the city that Friday after Peter’s final exam, “you said you wanted to learn how to ice skate, didn’t you?” 

And he had, in passing conversation, mentioned how he wanted to learn how to ice skate. It was just something he’d never gotten around to learning. He really hadn’t thought the billionaire had been listening, he’d been talking to fill the silence one evening in the lab. Tony had been focused intently on his Iron Man armor upgrades and Peter really thought he was just filling the silence. 

Apparently, Tony had actually been listening a bit closer to what Peter was saying. 

It would be just Tony and himself for a couple days at the cabin. Peter was pretty excited to be spending some time with the man he didn’t get to see very often between his own busy life as a student, having friends and being Spider-Man and the billionaire have an equally busy life. 

Pepper and May would be joining them on Christmas Eve, since both had jobs to tend to. 

Which was fine, because that’s what Peter had expected before Tony kidnapped him from school. Peter was also excited for them to arrive as well. Everyone together; everyone he considered to be his family. 

The only thing that could possibly make things any better would be Ned and MJ joining as well, but, well, they both had families to be with and Peter knew Tony wasn’t really about inviting a bunch of people to his secluded Christmas cabin. Peter was lucky that he and May got invited. 

It was understandable, that Tony not want a lot of people around though. As much as Tony was in the limelight, he was just as much about keeping to himself. Hiding away from everything and everyone in his lab for days on end. 

“I was thinking we could get the old skates on an’ take a couple laps around the pond in the backyard this afternoon?” Tony suggested as he finally pulled himself off the floor, satisfied with the crackle of the logs in the fireplace. 

“Sounds good,” Peter grinned, snuggling in closer to his blanket. They’d arrived late Friday evening at the small log cabin that Tony had insisted had been in his family for years. It was small and very not the billionaire’s usual style, but it was homey and weathered, and Peter absolutely adored it. 

It was only half an hour later that Tony was leading Peter out of the cabin, two brand new pairs of ice skates in their hands. There was a fresh layer of snow dusting the ground, giving the scene of the cabin with the fresh snow a Hallmark greeting card look, which Peter absolutely loved. 

The pond in the backyard was bigger than Peter had assumed. Beside it, a makeshift log bench; two thick tree rounds and a long board over top. Peter watched the billionaire dust the past night’s snow off the bench, then sit himself on it. 

Tony patted the spot beside him in an invitation, and Peter settled down next to the man after the prompting. 

The bench was cold, instantly freezing through Peter’s jeans as he followed Tony’s lead in stripping off his boots and replacing them with the ice skates. Peter clumsily slipped his feet into the new skates, scrunching his face up in hesitance at how they fit. The size was right, but the feel was unlike anything Peter had worn before. 

The teen watched for a second as the billionaire tied his skates, then shrugged to himself as he leaned forwards to tie his own like he would his sneakers. Tony stood up first when his skates were tied up, taking a couple steps before deeming them alright and stepping onto the ice. 

When his own skates were tied so he could easily slip them off like his shoes usually were, Peter stood, and instantly toppled over as his ankles shifted in the boots of the ice skates. 

“Woah, first day on your new feet, Kiddo?” the billionaire teased as he joined Peter at the bench again. Peter snorted a laugh as he took the man’s outstretched hands and Tony hoisted him to his feet. “Oh, yeah, no wonder,” the man laughed, eyes lowering to Peter’s ice skates. “Those are supposed to be tight, Spider-Baby. That’s your support system, it keeps your ankles braced straight and protected.” 

With a light push to Peter’s shoulder from the man, the teenager allowed himself to drop back onto the bench. Then, to his complete surprise (and bit his horror), Tony kneeled in front of him, taking Peter’s foot between his knees and quickly undoing the knot Peter had attempted to tie his skates with. 

Peter drew in a breath at how domestic this was, considering Tony Stark didn’t like people handing him things, but here he was kneeled down in front of Peter and _tying his ice skates_ for him 

“Y-you don’t-” Peter started as his eyes watched the man tug at the laces, tightening the skates tightly squeezing Peter’s ankle. Peter blinked because wow, that was tight. 

“Too tight?” the billionaire looked up, completely ignoring Peter’s stuttering. 

“N-no. Uh, no, I mean. It’s good. I think.” Peter wiggled his toes, deeming that he could still feel them, and now that he was used to the tightness around his ankle, he was getting more comfortable- for ice skates at least. “It’s okay. Feels alright.” 

“Good,” the man smiled. Peter watched Tony’s fingers move quickly; looping the laces with ease and lacing a quick knot, then double knotting it. When he released Peter’s left foot, he stared, waiting for something. 

When Peter just stared back blankly, unsure of what the man wanted him to do, the billionaire snorted a laugh before huffing a quiet, “other foot, Kid.” 

Peter’s mouth opened, dropping into a surprised ‘o’ shape before he quickly switched feet. Peter was sure his face was burning more so with embarrassment than the nipping chill of the breeze at this point. Great. 

Peter watched the process of tying the ice skate once more as the billionaire’s fingers moved almost mechanically. Practiced and fluent. 

It was only a minute later that Tony was patting Peter’s knee, then using it as support to stand again. The man’s knees had dark circles from where he’d been kneeling in the snow, and Peter felt a pinch of guilt tugging at him. 

“Okay, you’re good. Up and take a couple steps, let me know if we need to adjust anything, or if they’re good to go.” Peter stood as instructed, wincing as a precaution in case he fell again- but he didn’t. He wobbled a little, unused to be being on a blade instead of a flat shoe sole. 

The boots of the skate settled snuggly against Peter’s ankles and he felt a lot safer with his skates done up by Tony than when he’d done it himself. 

He took a couple steps, Tony’s arms out to catch him if he fell again. It was almost like Peter was learning how to walk all over again, with his parent hovering at his side in case he tripped or slipped or blatantly fell over- which definitely wasn’t out of the question. 

“How’s it feel?” 

“Weird,” Peter muttered absentmindedly, staring down at his feet and wiggling his toes that were hidden away, “but, like, in a good way. They’re okay, I mean.” 

“Good,” Tony chuckled, clapping Peter on the shoulder gently, “ready to hit the ice then?” 

“Um, I guess,” Peter gave a nervous laugh. 

Tony stepped back onto the ice first, skating a couple quick circles before joining Peter at the edge once more. The teen shifted his weight from foot to foot as he stood just a step away from the ice, eyes staring at the whiteish baby-blue colour of the snow and ice before him. He looked up when Tony’s skates came into his line of vision. 

“Nervous?” the man asked when Peter’s gaze travelled up from the skates to the man’s face. 

“A bit,” Peter admitted, “I’m going to fall.” 

“Of course, you are,” the billionaire huffed a quiet laugh, “everyone does, no need to be worried about that, Kiddo.” 

“Well, that helps,” Peter scowled, inching a little closer. 

“Sorry, but everyone starts somewhere. You won’t believe how many times I ended up on my ass when my mom was teaching me how to skate here.” 

“Really?” Peter asked quietly, continuing to inch. He was at the edge now, the tips of his blades over the snow dusted ground he was standing on. 

“Mhm,” Tony nodded, skating backwards, “when you get the hang of it though, it’s easy. Still my favorite holiday activity.” 

Peter watched the billionaire move swiftly on the smooth ice, then took a breath and finally stepped onto the ice. His own movements were way slower and sloppier than Tony, but he’d managed to get on the ice without falling backwards which was an accomplishment in Peter’s book. 

“Nice, Pete,” the man grinned, skating slowly beside Peter. The teen managed a small smile, continuing to slowly push off the ice. Peter waved the man off with a shaky hand, deciding that he could do it by himself. Tony grinned hesitantly, then moved away to take a few more laps around the pond. 

Peter continued to try and glide, shifting his attention from his own wobbly feet to the man’s graceful glides. He thought he was doing pretty well, considering he’d never been on ice skates and tended to avoid ice in general. 

Of course, that had been a wrong move on his part, assuming he knew what he was doing, what with his Parker luck never far behind. He wobbled a little on his own before accidentally shuffling over a particularly slippery spot of ice. 

Peter’s feet shot out from under him, and before he knew what was happening, he’d hit the ground. 

He winced, feeling a familiar pain of hitting the ground before glancing up quickly to see if his mentor had witnessed his fall. Tony had seen. Peter knew he would have; he had been watching him pretty closely. 

“Okay, bud?” Tony skated to him, hand out ready to pull Peter up. 

Peter tilted his head in a small nod, taking the billionaire’s hand. Tony pulled him up easily, but didn’t release Peter’s hand, instead skating forward and dragging the boy with him. Peter’s eyes widened and he voiced his surprised complaints, afraid to continue on after he’d just eaten ice, but he did trust Tony. 

“It’s all balance, Kiddo. You’ve just gotta glide, shuffling’s harder. Watch me,” Peter did watch Tony’s feet, copying him awkwardly. The movements were slowly becoming normal, and not feeling as awkward to him. 

They skated for a while, Tony keeping a strong hold on Peter and Peter tightening his own grip whenever the man loosened his at all. The first fall had been kind of hard and now he was a bit scared to go on his own again after having a safety blanket like Iron Man keeping an eye on him (and holding his hand, but that’s a secret). 

“Think I can let go?” Tony asked after they’d taken a couple laps together. His grip didn’t falter and Peter was trying to decide if Tony was uncomfortable with the hand holding or not. He didn’t appear to be. And Peter certainly wasn’t. 

“No!” Peter yelped, then evened himself as a flush rose to his cheeks, “I mean, uh, n-no, not yet. Please.” Tony only smiled, tightening his grip on Peter’s hand. 

They skated for a while longer, Peter getting the hang of it. His movements were like Tony’s now, and his grip on the man had lessened. He’d probably be alright if Tony let go, but that didn’t mean he wanted the man to let go. 

It was nice, just skating in circles with the man he’d been looking up to for so, so long. Nice to have a personal connection with someone like Tony Stark, when he was just Peter Parker from Queens. 

“Y’know, when I was first learning, and the first time I got on the ice, I refused to let my mother’s hand go,” the billionaire spoke softly, gaining a little speed which took Peter a smidge by surprised. He didn’t fall, but did stumble a little before righting himself. 

“I get that,” Peter huffed, narrowing his eyes at the grinning man beside him. 

“She took things slow, teaching me; making sure I was comfortable before moving on. My dad just got pissed that we were out goofing around when I could be inside being book smart.” Peter frowned, looking back at the man still keeping a tight hold on his hand, “we came out all the time just to piss him off. Maybe that’s why this is my favorite holiday activity?” the man seemed to ponder this. 

“Anyways,” he continued; “I don’t skate too often. I haven’t gone in a while. Never had... reason to, I guess. Not without my mother by my side. It was something for us, you know?” 

“When was the last time you went skating?” Peter asked, eyes shifting down to the ice momentarily before looking back up at Tony. 

“Oh, jeez,” the billionaire looked up to the sky in thought, “thirty-one years? Give or take?” 

“Thirty-one years?” Peter gaped, “w-what?” 

“I haven’t been since my mother passed away,” the billionaire explained, looking a little sad. “Didn’t feel right. It was... It's something I did with my mom. Special.” 

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. That meant that Tony hadn’t gone ice-skating with Pepper, or anyone. Peter was... he was skating with Peter. It was the first time he’d been skating in thirty-one years, and he chose to do it with Peter. 

“We could have... we didn’t have to go skating,” Peter whispered, feeling bad for intruding on something that Tony had done with his mother. “I didn’t know, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” Tony shrugged, grip momentarily tightening on Peter’s before loosening again, “I wanted to teach you, Kiddo. Just like my mom taught me.” 

With the admission, the billionaire bit his bottom lip. 

“But...” Peter swallowed, “why with me? I mean... I’m not... That was your thing with your mom.” 

“She wouldn’t want me to stop. I genuinely enjoy ice-skating, Pete.” the billionaire continued on, pulling Peter along, “but it’s no fun skating alone.” 

“But why me?” 

“Why not you?” the billionaire countered with a tilt of his head, “you’re a pretty special kid, Pete. I know my mom would have loved you. You’d have given me a run for my money had you met her. If you’re my favorite child you’d no doubt be her favorite child too,” Tony grinned. 

“That’s not true,” Peter rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but feel warm inside. “I’m your favorite?” 

“I don’t slide around on frozen water for just anyone, Kiddo,” Tony chuckled, tugging Peter a little closer and throwing his arm over Peter’s shoulders. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter snorted, “thank you for teaching me, this was fun.” 

“I’m glad,” Tony smiled. It wasn’t one of those smiles he would flash for cameras or to fans, this one was real and soft. “I’m glad I got on the ice again, and I couldn’t have asked for a better student.” 

“Thanks, Tony,” Peter grinned, leaning more into the man. 

“Now that we’ve taught you how to skate and since it’s getting pretty cold, what do you say we head back inside, make some hot cocoa and sit by the fire?” the man offered, “we can come back out tomorrow and you can try your hand at skating by yourself?” 

“Sounds good!” Peter chirped, letting Tony pull him closer to the bench where their shoes were waiting. 

“Hey, can we watch a Christmas movie too?” Peter grinned as they slowly transition off the ice and onto solid land. Peter almost let out a quiet breath of relief, despite how easily he’d picked up ice skating with Tony’s help. Fluffy snow was way better then slick ice. And shoes better than ice skates. 

“Only if it was made before you were born.” The man countered as the two sat on the bench to take their skates off. 

“Sure,” Peter grinned, leaning forwards to unknot his laces, “I know lots of old ones like that.” 

“Ouch,” the billionaire winced kiddingly, “making me feel old here, Pete. I’m wounded.” 

“Sorry,” the teenager grinned, but both knew, he was not sorry at all. “Got any mini marshmallows?” 

Tony’s nose scrunched up, “who _doesn’t_ have mini marshmallows?” 

“Good point.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this, and hopefully everyone likes it (especially my giftee). This was super fun, and I can't wait to see what everyone else has made! Big thanks to the irondadsecretsanta hosts on Tumblr for helping me along the way and orchestrating this whole gift exchange. Props to you guys!
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated! Anything you guys have to say means the world to me and I'm always ecstatic to see comments on my work!
> 
> I hope everyone has/had a great Christmas, or holiday break if you don't celebrate Christmas! Happy Holidays and Happy New Years everyone!


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